TicketsCHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Cincinnati volleyball team opened its season with a 3-2 reverse sweep over Illinois on Friday night inside Huff Hall.
Three Bearcats reached double-digit kills. Senior Sydney Nolan spearheaded the attack with a match-high 25 kills (.345). Junior Andrea Simovski added 13 kills (.344) and freshman Nina Scrucca registered 11 (.409). Scrucca also added five service aces.
Simovski recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs. Freshman Viktoria Ninova led the team with 15 digs, and junior Kate Lijic dished out a career-best 54 assists.
Fifth-year Ligia Williams made her long-awaited return after missing all of the 2025 season with an injury. Williams tallied eight kills (.467) and a team-best three blocks.
Illinois was led by Alyssa Aguayo, who notched 15 kills.
The Bearcats put on a serving clinic, totaling 12 service aces. They also led in kills, 63-56, and outhit Illinois as a team, .274 to .257.
The Bearcats struggled offensively in the opening set, hitting .095 on 42 attacks. A kill by Lindsay Oldendorf gave Illinois a 12-6 lead. A 4-0 run by the Bearcats, fueled by two service aces from Ninova, brought the score to 13-11. An ace from Lijic made it 19-17, but the Fighting Illini rattled off six straight to take the first set, 25-17.
Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead in the second set after a Simovski kill put the Bearcats ahead 6-3, but the Illini battled back as a kill from Taylor de Boer tied it at 8-all. It was a back-and-forth battle that saw the score tied at 15-all, then a Simovski kill made it 21-all. Illinois closed out the set with a 4-1 run to take it, 25-22.
Illinois struggled offensively in the third set, hitting .061 with seven errors, while the Bearcats hit .407. A kill from Williams gave Cincinnati an early 5-1 lead. A stretch of six straight points, capped by a Scrucca kill, pushed the lead to 13-6. Consecutive kills from Nolan moved the score to 19-10, and the Bearcats took the set, 25-16.
It was a back-and-forth battle early in the fourth set, as a Nolan kill knotted it at 13-all. The Bearcats then went on a 5-0 run – fueled by two Ninova service aces – to take a 19-14 lead. Illinois answered by outscoring Cincinnati 8-3 the rest of the way to tie it at 22-22. The teams traded points from there, tying again at 23-23, before Nolan and Simovski closed out the final two points to give Cincinnati the set, 25-23.
Illinois again struggled offensively in the fifth set, hitting .062 as a team, in a tightly contested finish. A service error by Ninova tied it at 6-6. A Nolan kill made it 11-8, and consecutive kills from Nolan and Simovski pushed it to 14-11. Simovski closed it out with a kill to secure the reverse sweep, 15-12.
// UP NEXT
The Bearcats stay in Champaign, Ill., to face Syracuse in a neutral-site match on Saturday at 4 p.m inside Huff Hall.
// GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY
Cincinnati is set to host Santa Clara for its home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m.
Single-match tickets are $15 for courtside seating, based on availability, and $10 for general admission. Group general admission tickets are available for $5. Family 4-Packs are also available for all weekend matches (Friday through Sunday), which include four tickets and a $20 concession voucher.
Season tickets for the 2026 season are on sale, with general admission packages starting at $75 and new courtside seating options priced at $125.
To secure your spots for the upcoming season, click HERE to purchase your tickets online, or contact the Bearcats Ticket Office at 513-556-2287 today.